Hero Week Day 6 – Bishop and Manion

Hero Week Day 6 – Bishop and Manion

Lance Cpl. Bishop of Dickson, Tenn., was a 2002 graduate of Dickson County High School and joined the Marine Corps through the delayed entry program in September 2002. He went on active duty in 2003 and went to Afghanistan right out of boot camp. He was trained as a machine gunner and was promoted to lance corporal in July 2006. He always felt protective of his family and even told them he would protect them. He was the kind that would always come to your rescue.

Bishop went through some difficult times personally, but was able to pull through, and afterward “he always found a way to make a bad situation better,” said Sgt. Walter Rattray.

“Adam was one of the best guys I knew. Always caring, always loving, he would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it,” Rattray said. “I loved Adam like a brother. He will never be forgotten.”

On April 29, 2007 during his final patrol mission, Manion made the ultimate sacrifice.

His patrol was concluding a search of a suspected insurgent house when it came under precision small arms fire attack. With the corpsman seriously wounded by enemy fire and the attack developing in to a full-scale ambush, Manion and a fellow Marine exposed themselves to increasing fire to pull the corpsman out of the kill zone.

After recovering the corpsman and administering first aid, Manion led his patrol in a counter attack personally eliminating an enemy position. As he continued to direct the patrol, another Marine was wounded. He again moved across the kill zone, under fire by five insurgents, to recover the wounded Marine. Iraqi Army reinforcements were halted by an IED and were unable to advance on the flank of the insurgents, leaving Manion and his patrol to take fire from three sides.

While fearlessly exposing himself to gain a more advantageous firing position and drawing enemy fire away from the wounded Marines, Manion was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper.

His courageous and deliberate actions inspired the eventual counter attack and ultimately saved the lives of every member of his patrol, according to his medal citation.

“In January 2007, during one of our final phone conversations, Travis said to me, ‘Mom, America does not know how good they have it and all the good the young men and women over here are doing for them. They need to know.’

During his first stay at home, Travis and his brother-in-law attended an Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field. As they were leaving the stadium, Travis’ brother-in-law joked with Travis that if he tripped him and broke his leg, Travis would not have to return to Iraq and could stay home in Doylestown. Travis turned to him and said, “Hey Dave, if not me, then who?”